NHL Free Agency (06/27/13)

By John Ewing

Are you coming down off a Stanley Cup Playoffs high? Maybe a little NHL free agency can help keep the buzz going. A look at NHL free agency and trade props, courtesy of Bovada.lv.

How will your favorite team improve over the summer? Will they snag one of the top free agents? Teams have been locking up their young stars to long-term deals, which limits the pool of available players. Yet, starting on July 5th there will still be a number of quality players available either through trade or free agency, but what teams will land them?

NHL Trade Props

Will the Vancouver Canucks trade Roberto Luongo prior to the start of the 2013-14 season?

Yes: 1/2

No: 3/2

Luongo is the best goalie available on the market. However, Vancouver is having a hard time finding a trading partner and shedding Luongo’s large contract, goes through 2022 and carries a $5 million a year cap hit.

Will the Calgary Flames trade Mike Cammalleri prior to the start of the 2013-14 season?

Yes: 5/7

No: 1/1

Why yes: The Flames have missed the playoffs each of the last five seasons. Trading Cammalleri while he still has value will help rebuild the roster.

Why no: Cammalleri’s contract is fair and he is a consistent scorer, 20 goals in six of the last seven seasons.

Will the Toronto Maple Leafs trade Dion Phaneuf prior to the start of the 2013-14 season?

Yes: 3/2

No: 1/2

Phaneuf is a defensive stud for Toronto, not to mention their captain. Phaneuf has one year remaining on his contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Trading the team’s best defensive player could bring in more depth but the odds favor the Maple Leafs keeping Phaneuf.

NHL Free Agent Props

Where will Daniel Briere be playing at the start of the 2013-14 season?

New Jersey Devils: 3/2

Ottawa Senators: 5/2

Montreal Canadiens: 9/2

Phoenix Coyotes: 5/1

Buffalo Sabres: 5/1

Briere’s compliance buyout was announced last week. It was a bittersweet end to a productive relationship between player and franchise. Briere was an All-Star in 2007 and 2011; he set a franchise record as the leading postseason scorer in 2010. New Jersey is the favorite, as Briere wants to remain close to his sons who live in South Jersey. Ottawa has a chance, as it is essentially his hometown, he grew up in Gatineau across the river from Ottawa.

Will Ilya Bryzgalov be a starting goalie for an NHL team in their first game of the 2013-14 season?

Yes: 2/1

No: 1/3

The Flyers set a compliance buyout record this week when they cut goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. It will cost the team $23 million over the next 14 years. Bryzgalov played two mediocre seasons for Philadelphia after signing a nine-year contract.

Where will Bryan Bickell be playing at the start of the 2013-14 season?

Detroit Red Wings: 1/1

Florida Panthers: 3/1

Vancouver Canucks: 13/4

Chicago Blackhawks: 7/2

Bickell scored a respectable 9 goals in 48 regular season games. However, he had a marvelous run in the playoffs matching his regular season total with 9 more goals while skating on the top line with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Bickell is a good player but if teams expect him to carry his playoff scoring into next season they may be disappointed with the results.

Where will Jarome Iginla be playing at the start of the 2013-14 season?

Los Angeles Kings: 11/4

Pittsburgh Penguins: 3/1

Dallas Stars: 9/2

St. Louis Blues: 5/1

San Jose Sharks: 15/2

Anaheim Ducks: 8/1

Colorado Avalanche: 8/1

The Kings and the Penguins are the favorites to land Iginla, which is appropriate given they are two of the four teams he wanted to play for. Pittsburgh could retain Iginla’s services but they do not have as much cap space as Los Angeles. The Kings need to add depth on offense making them the favorites to sign the future Hall of Famer.